Tie-plate and rail clamp.



E. H. TAYLOR.

TIE PLATE AND RAIL CLAMP.

APPLICATION FILED NOV 3, 1915.

1 1 74,639. Patented Mar. 7, 1916.

INvENruY: W' by 4, i fi wlah EUGENE H. TAYLOR, .015 BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

TIE-PLATE AND BAIL' CLAMP.

Specification of Letters Patent. v I Patented Mar. '7, 1916'.

Application filed November 8, 191 5. 1 Serial No. 59,468.

To all whom it may concern .a citizen of the United States, residing at Boston, county of Suffolk, State of .Massachusetts, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Tie-Plate and Rail Clamps, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings. a

My invention relates to an improvement in tie plate and rail clamps which are employed for securing steel rails to railroad ties or the like. It has for its object rail clamp which may the rail and be used the production of a be readily secured to in connection with a tie plate for effectually preventing the rail structed that the clamp arranged and conmay be applied to the rail without making it necessary toput together detached clamping members thereby saving much time and labor in laying the track.

My invention will be fully understood from the following description'when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings and the novel features thereof will be pointed out and clearly defined in the claims at the close of the specification.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a top plan view of a portion from creepmg. It is so of a rail and a device embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a section on line 2-2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a v1ew in perspective of the clamp and 2. Fig. 4 is a view of a modified form of clamp embodying my invention.

Having reference to the drawings there 18 shown at 11 a metal. tie plate having notches 13 and holes 12 which are adapted to receive spikes or other equivalent means for securing the tie plate to a railroad tie or other like support. The tie plate 11 is provided with a rectangular opening 14.

which is somewhat longer than the width of the base 15 of the rail to be employed and is adapted to receive the clamp.

The clamp consists of a shank or strip of metal 16 which is substantially equal in thickness to that of the tie plate and which has a width and length slightly less than that of the rectangular opening 14 so that it is adapted to fit loosely within the opening and rest upon the tie. At one end of the shank 16 is a clamping member 17 which projects upwardly therefrom and is proedge 19 of shown inFlgs. 1v

vided on its inner or clamping surface with a concave portion 18 adapted to fit over thethe base 15 of the rail. The upper end beveled as shown at 20 in order to facilitate mserting the ,base'15 of the rail within the clamping member as will be described. The other end of the shank 16 is provided with a clamping member 21 which in my preferred form is separated from the shank but is at all times secured to it by a screw or bolt 22 which in the particular form shown in the drawings, passes through an elongated hole 23 in the member 21 and'engages with a threaded hole in the shank. The clamping member 21 which is secured to the upper surface of the shank 16 near one end thereof is provided with a beveled end 24 which coiiperates with a bevel 25 on the upwardly projecting portion 26 of the shank. The inner end 27 of the clamping member 21 is provided .withabevel 28 which is adapted to sungly fit over the edge of the base 15 of a rail. The bevels 24 and 25 are so arranged that when the screw bolt 22 is turned down the clamping member is forced inwardly on the shank 16 as well as downwardly. By this arrangement the clamping -members 21 and 17 may be brought together by the screw bolt 22 and forcibly clamped about the edge of the base of the rail.

In practice the clamp is placed over the edges of the base of a rail, is inserted in the opening 14 in the tie plate 11, and the screw bolt 22 is turned down to clamp the members 17 and 21 firmly over the edges of the rail base. The rail is then positioned and the tie plate spiked to the tie or other rail support. The clamping members 17 and 21-are so arranged that it is not necessary to detach the member 21 from the shank in of the clamping member 17 is' order to place the clamp over the base of the base is inserted beneath'the bevel 28 of the loosened clamping member 21 the clamping member 17 may be sprung over the other edge of the base. This may be readily done by tapping the clamp with a hammer or'the like. I regard this as an important feature of my invention for by this arrangement Ihave eliminated the necessity of putting together detached parts and thereafteradjusting them about the base of theraila Inl Fig I have shown a modified form ofde'v'ice. Theclainp shown consists of ashank 29 composed of spring metal such as steel. It is provided with a clamping member 30 at one end which is similar in construction to the clamping member 17 described above. The other end of the shank 29 is however bent backv upon itself to form a clamping member 31 which is normally at a slight angle to the shank and which is adapted to be sprung toward the same by a screw bolt 32 which passes loosely through a hole in the clamping member 31 and engages with a threaded hole in the shank 29. The spring clamping member 31 has a bevel 33 at its inner end which is adapted to engage with an edge of the rail base. It is effectively pivoted at the end of the shank so that when the screw bolt 32 is turned down the bevel 33 is forced downwardly toward the upper surface of the shank 29 and at the same time inwardly toward the clampin member 30. The parts are so arranged t at when the screw bolt 32 is loosened the clamp may be readily sprung over the base of the rail owing to the shape of the bevel 34 on the member 30, which is similar to the bevel 20 on the member 17 above described and also to the ability of the clamping member 31 to yield upwardly when pressure is xerted against the bevel 33.

What I claim is:

1. The improved tie plate and clamp comprising a tie plate having an opening therein, a clamp adapted to fit in said opening, said clamp consisting ofa shank of metal having a clamping member at one end, a clamping member on the upper side of said shank and at the other end thereof which is spaced apart from the said shank and adapted to move toward and away from the same, and means for moving said movable clamping member toward said shank to cause said clamp to engage the edges of a base of a rail.

2. The improved tie plate and clamp comprising a -tie plate having an opening therein, a clamp adapted to fit in said opening comprising a shank of metal, having a clamping member at one end and an upwardly rojecting portion at the other end, a second clamping member in engagement with said upwardly projecting portion and adapted to move toward and away from said shank, and means for moving said clamping member toward said shank to cause said clamp to engage the edges of a, base of a rail.

3. The improved tie plate and clamp comprising a tie plate having an opening therein, a clamp adapted to fit in said opening consisting of a shank of metal having a clamping member atone end, a beveled upwardly projecting portion at the other end of said shank, a second clamping member spaced apart from said shank having a bevel adapted to cooperate with the bevel on said upwardly projecting portion to cause said second clamping member to move toward said first clamping member when moved toward said shank and to allow it to be moved away from said first clamping member when moved away from said shank, and means for moving said second clamping member toward and away from said shank.

4. The improved tie plate and clamp comprising a tie plate having an'openin'g therein, a clamp adapted to be received within said opening, said clamp consisting of a shank having a clamping member at one end, an upwardly projecting portion at the other end, said upwardly projecting portion having a bevel extending upwardly and outwardly from the upper surface of said shank, a clamping member having a hole therethrough and a bevel at one end corresponding with the bevel on said upwardly projecting portion, and a screw passing loosely through the hole in said clamping member into said shank.

5. The improved tie plate and rail clamp comprising a. tie plate having an opening therein, a clamp adapted to be received within said opening consisting of a shank having a clamping member at one end and an upwardly projecting portion at the other end, said upwardly projecting portion having an upwardly and outwardly inclined bevel and saidclamping member having a bevel at the upper end substantially at right angles to the bevel on said upwardly projecting portion, a second clamping member spaced apart from the upper surface of said shank and havinga bevel coiiperating with the bevel on said upwardly projecting portion, and means for movin said second clamping member toward an away from said shank.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

EUGENE H. TAYLOR. Witnesses:

JoHN H. PARKER, ALICE MORRISON. 

